Diamond
by ThePopmousKoala
Summary: John and Claire spend a night together after their fateful kiss. They decipher their feelings for each other and they're lives, ultimately discovering that the two of them may not be so different after all.
1. Chapter 1

John hopped off his old Harley Knucklehead, his combat boots sinking into the moist, dewy grass. He cursed, trying to push down the stuck kickstand as it refused to part with the rusted metal body of the motorcycle. The bike was aged and corroded, but still sprinting on every drop of fuel that John fed it with. It was the only thing he had ever truly loved.

Sneakily, he crept through the vast garden. It was surrounded by a heavy, victorian-style iron fence; the gate carelessly left unlocked. The lawn was freshly cut and unnaturally green. To his right, a large stone birdbath in the shape of an angel stood beneath the towering curtain of a willow tree.

John grabbed a handful of pebbles from the garden bordering the tall house. The colours of the flowers were bright and distinguishable, even in the darkness of midnight. He tossed a single rock at the highest window on the shingled mansion, missing by a few inches. _Shit,_ John thought to himself. Obviously, Claire would have the largest house he had ever laid eyes on. Her father pissed away more many than he knew what to do with. He scowled at the pathetic reality as he chucked two more pebbles against the glass paynes.

After a few long seconds, the velvet curtains were pushed aside by Claire's dainty hands. Her image filled the window. She looked as if she was a totally different person without her usual prissy clothes and face caked with pounds of makeup. Her cherry hair wasn't smoothly curled, but a frizzy tumbleweed atop her head and her eyes were dark and bare. She wore nothing but an ivory silk nightgown and a confused expression.

"Claire!" John shouted up to her.

Harshly, she brought a finger to her full lips before cracking open her window slightly. "Shut up! You'll wake my parents."

John smirked. "I'm sure Daddy dearest would be happy to see me." Claire raised her middle finger to him in disgust. He dramatically slapped his palms to his chest and descended to his knees. "Why Claire, you've wounded me."

She scowled. "You are so full of it. What the hell are you doing here anyway?"

John rose from the wet ground. "Listen Princess," he began as he casually swiped the dirt off of his ripped Levis. "Don't let this stroke your little ego too hard, but I actually came to see you."

"Oh yeah, well you're seeing me right now. What do you want?" She snapped.

He glanced over at his beat up, oxidized Harley and then back at Claire's annoyed face. "Come down here and I'll show you."

"No way in hell!"

"Aww, what's the matter?" He oustretched his arms. "Scared?"

To John's surprise, Claire snorted in amusement. "Of you? Keep dreaming. I can just think of much better things to do with my Saturday night than follow you to God knows where."

John stroked his stubbly chin. "Really? Because I can't seem to think of any."

Claire scowled. "You really are one egotistical, rotten son of a bitch, you know that?"

"The best one around, Claire." He smiled an arrogant crooked smile, flashing his perfect white teeth. "Listen, I'd love to stay and admire the view of your...charming estate, but I've got a case of beer and I'm getting away for the night. Somewhere quiet where I don't have to deal with anyone else's bullshit. I thought you might be interested. Coming?"

Claire hesitated, running a hand through her mess of fiery hair. For a moment, she pondered why John would want her to come with him. Had their kiss after detention really meant anything to him? _Of course not_, she thought. This was the guy that had a wallet full of girls he would casually screw. He didn't have romantic feelings; he was incapable of them. Then why did he want to spend any time with her? Curiosity overtook her and finally, she fully opened her window and swung her leg over the ledge. "I'm coming."


	2. Chapter 2

"You seriously want me to get on that?" Claire asked, pursing her rose lips in disgust. Her delicate finger pointed down at the rusty Harley.

John snorted in amusement. "Yeah, sorry it's not the shiny BMW you're used to. But I don't think your feet would really appreciate walking. Especially in those shoes." Claire looked down at the plum coloured high heels that she had quickly grabbed and slipped on before giving it a second thought. "Wise choice, Claire."

She let out a frustrated sigh as she swung her leg over the cracking leather seat. John sat in front of her and revved the engine. Claire flinched at the roaring noise of the motorcycle. John chuckled, unable to keep the laughter from escaping his lips.

"Do you think this is funny?" She questioned, her eyes widening with her words.

"Actually I do." He glanced over his shoulder at Clair nonchalantly. "What the hell are you doing? Do you want your body to be rolling across the goddamn highway?"

"What?"

John pointed his rugged finger at her hands that were folded neatly in her lap, resting on her silky garments. "Jesus Christ, we aren't at one of Daddy's classy dinner parties. Hold on to something or you'll fall off."

Claire looked around the bike, her wild mess of red hair flipping in the wind. "There's nothing to hold on to."

John turned around and placed his fingerless-gloved hands on the cool handlebars. "Wrap your arms around my waist."

Claire snorted in displeasure. "You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

"You know what Claire, I'd like that a lot better than explaining to the cops why your bloody corpse is rotting in the middle of the road." He exclaimed.

She hesitated.

"What the hell is your problem? Put your arms around me." He demanded.

She reluctantly placed her hands on his stomach, pulling her body closer to his. Her touch felt warm against the rough leather of his jacket, almost comforting. She rested her chin on his strong, broad shoulder. Her soft hair brushed his neck lightly. "Is this okay?" She whispered into his pierced ear.

John gulped, losing his inhibition. Claire's hands against him reminded him of their kiss at detention. The kiss that John couldn't keep out of his mind, no matter how many of his wallet girls he had called up to get him off. "It's fine." He replied with a nod, starting up the engine and zooming off into the black night. He bit his lip, trying to concentrate on the road, but only being able to focus on Claire. She could feel her beaming against his neck as their hair blew wildly together in the cold autumn wind.

"What?" He asked her, shouting over the booming sound of the bike speeding across the empty road.

"What do you mean 'what'?" She replied.

"I mean, what are you smiling about?"

Claire sighed, almost blissfully. "I've never felt so free, John."

He quickly glanced back at her, taking his eyes off the road for no more than a fraction of a second. But in that small moment, he saw a brightness in Claire's chocolate eyes that he had never seen before. A brightest indicating that she was at peace, that she was happy. He felt an unfamiliar warmth seeping through his veins, prideful of the fact that he was the one who had painted that smile on Claire's normally lipstick coated, sullen mouth.

After twenty minutes of driving passed by, John turned on to a pure dirt back road, bordered by a thick forest of maple trees. He cruised down the road slowly. Claire could hear the dried leaves crunching and cracking under the Knucklhead's tires. The road soon became narrow and John slowed the bike down to a steady halt.

The two stepped off the bike, Claire stretched the stiffness out of her slender body as John forcefully kicked down the kickstand.

John crept to the line of rotting trees, pushing wet, bendy branches out of his way. "Follow me." He said.

"In there?" She asked, biting down on her full lip.

"Come on, Claire. Don't be scared." He teased.

"I'm not scared!" Claire insisted, pacing over to John. He held up a twisting tree branch, allowing Claire to duck under and enter the dark forest. He followed closely behind until he shifted beside her.

"Where are we going?" She asked.

"You'll see." He replied. "Oh, but there's one thing I need to tell you first."

"What?"

"Watch out for axe murderers." He whispered jokingly. "Ouch!" He exclaimed as Claire swatted him harshly on the shoulder, glaring at him with wide brown eyes. He returned her look with a handsome sarcastic grin. Claire couldn't help herself. She chimed out a girlish giggle and soon John was laughing too.

Claire walked precariously through the forest not knowing where she was going. She was alone with nothing but John, the smell of wet leaves and moist dirt, and a dazzling blanket of stars splattered across the night sky.


End file.
